2003 Toyota Avalon Problems, Recalls & Reliability
353 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2003 Toyota Avalon, alongside 2 recall campaigns and 0 defect investigations. It scores 83/100 on the trouble index — one of the years to avoid for this model. Airbags leads the reports, typically around 99,250 miles.
Avoid this year if you can. The 2003 Toyota Avalon sits at the top of this model's complaint rankings. Quieter picks in the same family: 1995, 2010, 2012, 2015–2016, 2018–2019.
Avoid
Where 2003 sits among all Avalon years
What owners report
“Toyota has not yet made srs ecu safety recall parts available for my 2003 avalon. Parts are not available in a reasonable time.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2003 Avalon
“Car was idling in park, placed shift into reverse, car accelerated forward with motor racing into a bench, destroying it. Jammed shift back into park shut off motor. Restarted car. Place shift in rev and backed off bench. Car worked properly. Had car towed to repair shop.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2003 Avalon
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 171 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 83,000 miles. Half of those reports fall between 49,984 and 123,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (2)
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2003-2004 Toyota Corolla vehicles manufactured December 28, 2001, to May 2, 2004, 2003-2004 Toyota Corolla Matrix vehicles manufactured January 6, 2002, to April 29, 2004,…
Fix: Toyota will notify their owners. Pontiac Vibe owners will be notified by GM. Dealers will replace the air bag control module, free of charge. The recall began on August 24, 2015. Toyota owners…
TOYOTA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2000-2004 AVALON VEHICLES. DUE TO IMPROPER CASTING OF THE STEERING LOCK BAR, THERE IS A POSSIBILITY THAT A MINUTE CRACK MAY DEVELOP ON THE SURFACE OF THE LOCK BAR. SUCH A CRACK MAY EXPAND OVER A LONG PERIOD OF REPEATED…
Fix: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE STEERING INTERLOCK DEVICE FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON SEPTEMBER 7, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT TOYOTA AT 1-800-331-4331.
Technical service bulletins
110 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on body & structure and electrical — are on file for the 2003 Toyota Avalon. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 2003 Avalon TSB list →
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 2003 Toyota Avalon reliable?
The 2003 Toyota Avalon drew 353 complaints in federal safety records — one of the years to avoid for this model. Its trouble index is 83/100, scored against the model's worst year (2006).
What are the most common 2003 Toyota Avalon problems?
The top reported problems for the 2003 Toyota Avalon are airbags (184 complaints), speed control (51), and electrical (19).
At what mileage do 2003 Toyota Avalon problems show up?
Owners most often report 2003 Toyota Avalon problems around 83,000 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 49,984 and 123,000 miles.
Does the 2003 Toyota Avalon have recalls?
2 recall campaigns apply to the 2003 Toyota Avalon. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.